Resident doctors in England — previously referred to as junior doctors — have voted to launch new strike action in a renewed row over pay, potentially extending industrial disruption into early 2026, the British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed.
The dispute centres around a 29.2% pay demand, with the latest ballot showing overwhelming support for strike action. According to the BMA, 90% of participating resident doctors backed the strikes, with a turnout of 55%.
If the strikes go ahead, it will mark a fresh wave of disruption for the NHS in England. The health service had not seen any national strike by clinical staff since junior doctors staged their last walkout on 2 July 2024 — the final of 11 strikes that began in March 2023 and totalled 44 days.
Under the previous Conservative government, doctors’ pay demands were consistently rejected. However, a breakthrough was achieved after Labour came to power in July 2024. Health Secretary Wes Streeting negotiated a deal with the BMA, awarding junior doctors a combined 22% pay rise spread across 2023-24 and 2024-25, which brought the strikes to a temporary halt.
Now, with unresolved concerns around pay restoration, doctors are once again prepared to take to the picket lines, setting the stage for further industrial tensions within the NHS.
